I admit that I haven't read that book but I have read numerous books about various scary viruses. Conversations I have at work with some well educated biologists always lead to how easily a virus like, for example, Ebola could mutate into something as contagious as influenza virus. Smallpox ocassionally rears its ugly head in warfare experiment history. Try reading "Hot Zone" a true account of the Ebola outbreaks in Zaire or the classic fictional "The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Chrichton.

A good discussion question would be about why people risk almost certain death to help those afflicted by these ghastly diseases.